Device for waterproofing cameras.



1% Ayala 11! I: an

W. S. STEARNS.

DEVICE FUR WATERPROOFING CAMERAS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 19I5.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANoanAPl-I CO.,\\'A5HINGTON, u, c.

3 [H0927 far Cambridge,

WILLIai/i S rEiARNS; or, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE roe WATERPROOFING caMERAs.

I Asmara s Fame 12, 1915.

a citizen of the United States, resid 11;; at

in the eoiinty of MiddleseX an d State of Massaclinsetts,'l1ay new and usefulImprovements in Devices for l'Vater Jroefin i-ollowing 1s a spec fieation.

This in ention relatesto acorhbingd support and clo'siire foricaifieras and the like i l .p Iii, ,1 i and niere espeeially to an imp oi ed means for water ir colin foldinfi cameras to} the b i to i 2 end that such articles may be proteeted from dampness 'and eyen from vin'yiiry resulting h I I y I side of the l ll ltlCllQ portion of the U-shaped' from actual iinniersion in water. I a

These, and other objelctslef niy inyention will be hereinafter referred t6 andthe novel means and eo nbinations (if elements whereby said obje ct syniaybe attain'et willbe inore partieslarly pointed out in the claims appendedhereto. I

In the accompanying drc forms erence" characters throughont the several views, I have eX einplified a rig which and modifications which inay be nade here in Without departing fro nthe spiritof invention, I desire to be liinited only'b'y the scope of said claims, b M

Referring? to the drawing: gure 1 1s a plan View ofa combined support -and clo sure for caineras. Fig. 2: is asection taken on linem n: ofFighl, rig. 3 ]isan and 'view of the d r I v broken away along the line HI III of Fig.

1001: hereinafter described. a a

The cainerayl inay bevofthe usiial folding typehaving a side 1 hinged at 2 whereby said side may be loweredj and thefolded canieraparts thereby be nioyedto theiroperative positions.

tomarily made a somewhat. longer one way than another and l ha ve taken advantage of this :taetin my preferred form of elosnre.

As best shown in Fig. 1, sides of the camera which extend parallel to the short edge of the paper are materially longer than are the sides which extend parallel to, the longer edges otthe paper, and these shorte-r sides may be engaged by andthe camera re ceived between shaped frame 3.

invented Certain ,7

Cameras; of which i the s a part hereof andin Whih. like refe nate; l e! p r s preferred enibodinient invention but as I am aware of varlons changes vice shown. in'Figs. 1 and 2, I eonnetibn with the latter,

1. Fig. 4 is a detail boadnwiew of a spring used in, conneetien w th the cover case lIQhereinafter described, the

Such cameras are are, I y I p y tnrningthe handle 9 111 the depending legs of aU- This latter may be of steel,

seri iiic. 7,735.

Patented eat. is, i915.

ali'nninilin or eren of fiber, or the like, and i has atlixed to its upper side'a plate e of, for example, hard rubber.

As the frame 3 is preferably ri 'idly eecured to. tliecainera, and as the plate 4 is correspondingly secured to said frame, the" camera maybe conveniently supported by I a the plate 4, the overhanging edges of which may be very conveniently grasped by the hand or. one edge may be pressed against the body of the operator, when the camera is 111 use a V r i In the preferred form of my device the top of the: camera isspaeedfrom the under fra neto, provide room for a locking bar 5 so as to permitlof a screw engagement bebe tween saidbalr and its supporting spindle 6 This lattei' 'is journaled a bushing 7 of brass or the l ke anduhas an enlarged and threaded lower end which carries the bar 5,

above deseribed.

At its inner eitreniity the spindle 6 I fixedly which is soldered, fingered spring eleinent 8, the prongs or fingers of which ai'e both resilient and uptiirnedfor at 8" for the reception of the shank of the stud or spindle 6 and by reason of its rigid rotates therewith when thelatter; is turned by its handle 9. This latter ,inay, if from the biishing l' bysuitable ashers 10, wherebyte make the closure water-tight at this point.

cennected theretoa cap or head 6 to or otherwiseqfastened a desired, be spaced up I engagement with the sides of the I, loekingbarh t a a a a The element 8 is, of course, apertured as When the camera withdrawn from itsv be rotated clockwise or ,countenclockwise as desired through about ninety; degrees by one direction or the o-theifbeeause of the frictional engagement between said barfand the spindle 6 and be 5, Whenthelatter after having been screwed intofirniengagement with the flange 12 of,

the easing 11 is thereafter freed from siich engagement by rotating the handle counterclockwise as viewed from above.

bare may 'within the confines of the space provided he The bar 5' can be rotated but, let us say,

ninety degrees ineither direction owing tostops 13 and 14 on the under side of the cen tral portion of the frame 3; and when it has been turned counter-clockwise, as viewed 1n Fig. 1, throu gh'the instrumentality of the...

to thelimit of its travel in spring fingers,

the ends thereof are well this direction,

tween the top of the camera and its U-shaped frame 8. At such time, of course, the camera .can be readily inserted mto its protective casing and when lowered into the projecting peripheral portions of well down there- 12 at the top of the casing.

If desired, the combined closure plate 1 may have'a rib 16, or the 7 like, therearound, to insure a more perfect sealing ofthe casing. 1

and the camera,

When the plate 6 causes the spring clear the locking bar after I the handle while at the same time the bar is side of the flange cial value in touring, camping and'the like flange 12 may be dropped The operation of the device is as follows: The cover plate 4, as above stated, forms a very convenient support and handle for the camera when in use. At such time normally the locking bar 5, between this plate will occupy the position in which it is shown in dotted lines, at 5, in Fig. 1. The camera, having been folded, may now be inserted into the casing 11, which it may be here noted may be of any. suitable waterproof material, such as aluminium, and for convenience of manufacture, the be separately formed and sweated or riveted fast to the casing proper. 4 has been seated against the gasket, the handle 9 is turned clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 1 until the bar 5 strikes the lugs 11 and thus occupies the dash and dot line position designated 5, whereupon continued rotation of the spindle fingers to successively snap lightly past the being screwed up onto the spindle. If the spring fingers are properly bent, the latter a turn or two of clamped against the under or flanges 12 andithe cover plate is drawn firmly vdown against the gasket 15; sealing the camera so effectively that it may even overboard, as from a canoe, without likelihood of injury from the water. It may be herestated that for this reason the casing and its closure, which takethe place of the usual leather camera case, are of espe- To remove the camera from its casing, a reverse movement of the handle first releases Copies of thisipaten t niay be obtained for five cents each,

, therefor, a caslng which is attached firmly supporting and locking 'devicein the space bar while the latter is v the bar from its close frictional engagement with the flange 12, while at the same time winding said bar again into engagement with the tips of the rotating spring fingers until the latter are ableto swing the bar around counter-clockwise and into engage- CELHL 1. The combination of a camera with a combination supporting andclosure plate means to operatively hold said casingand closure plate in sealed relationshiptoprotect said camera from moisture.

2. The combination of acamera with an apertured protective casing therefor,a cover for the aperture in support said camera from said cover,and means to fasten said cover to said casing when said camera is in position in the latter. 3. The combination of a camera with an apertured protective casing therefor, a cover for the aperture in said casing,means to support said camera from said cover, means to lock said cover to said casing when the camera is in postion in the latter, and means to actuate said locking means. r 1. The combination of a camera which is longer one way than another, with a correspondingly shaped. casing therefor, a cover for said casing, means to normally hold said camera andcover in spaced relationship, a between said camera and cover, and means to operatively engage said locking device and a part of 1 said casing.

5. The combination of a camera with a casing therefor, a cover means to connect said camera to said cover, said camera and at least a part of said cover having a space therebetween, vice in said space, and means to operatively .engagesaid locking device with a part of 7 said caslng.

6. The combination of a camera with a said casing, means to for said camera, and

for said casing,

a locking de- U-shaped frame therefor, a cover plate connected' to said frame, a casing for said camera, a locking device connected to said frame, and means for setting'said device in its operative position to seal saidcamera in said casing. V

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, inthe presence of two witnesses.

. WILLIAM S. STEARNS; Witnesses:

. CHARLES O; LAURIN,

E. M. JORDAN.

Washington, D. 0;,

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

